Looking for input on Agricultural build.

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fosho99

Spain Ag
I'm looking for ideas or solutions for my goals. In the longrun, I would like something that can hold a larger camera and also a multispectral camera, was thinking the Lite version of this ( http://www.tetracam.com/Products1.htm ) Basically I want imagery that can be sent or processed, then turned into maps that show plant health and even plant population. The camera needs to be good enough to do this and the gps needs to be fairly accurate to develop these maps I believe. I'm not sure if multiple ground control points would be feasible or not. The fields that it would be used on are mostly flat, but may be 100-400 acres in size. That's probably enough information on what I would like to see for results, open to more questions if needed.

I am looking into possibly a hexa for the payload it may be carrying. I would like to keep it budget friendly as I am slowly ramping up. I've used QgroundControl for the AR drone and would like to use something similar at times.

Like I said, I am new to RC so I am open to any suggestions or threads on where to start researching further. I will be starting from the ground up on RC, but I do have a IMAX B6 genuine charger for the drones batteries I converted to XT60.
 

Motopreserve

Motopreserve

Drone Enthusiast
I think if you're looking to be able to program waypoints, you're looking at either the Pixhawk, or the DJI high end flight controllers. The pixhawk will certainly be a more serious learning curve.

The he flight times will be your biggest challenge. If you are looking to work on spaces 200-400 acres, you're probably going to be talking A) multiple batteries and B) multiple take off/landings. Unless you're looking to zip through the fields - but that wouldn't offer much in the way of quality photos.

I am building a Tarot 680pro that is a "budget" hex that people have successfully gotten around 25 minutes flight time with. I'll be happy with 15 minutes. I get too tense after so much time aloft :)

whats the the budget you're looking to spend on the MR (not counting camera).
 

D

dark_star

Member
Mikrokopter would be another possible choice for flight control. The latest firmware has very nice GPS/waypoint functionality. Fairly significant learning curve but pro level performance.
 

F

fosho99

Spain Ag
Thanks for the replies!

I have been researching a lot, mostly reading the wealth of information and focusing on some key areas I have discovered I really would like to explore more.

The budget is quite tight, as it is hard convincing the wife this stuff is worth it. On top of that, the project may come to a halt as I just got word we may be getting a beta uav for testing and possible dealership opportunity. I would still like to continue on my own build if that pans out but it would probably be a budget build over time.

I have found that the ultimate agricultural build would be a plane, but the advances in batteries and motors lead me to believe that the potential is still there for multirotors. They have multipurpose capabilities and the ability to hover over a problem area is also valuable.

The main issue is finding a camera and gps system to go with. The ability to do other than just a plain image with a camera is a big deal. Either by owning two cameras or modifying existing cameras to serve a few purposes would be great.


I have started bookmarking helpful sites and links, I will paste here below if allowed...
http://www.kolor.com/image-stitching-software-autopano-giga.html
http://www.exelisvis.com/Default.aspx
http://ccwu.me/vsfm/
http://store.swift-nav.com/
http://pix4d.com/
http://conservationdrones.files.wor...er_aerialdatacollectionguidelinesplanning.pdf
http://swiftradioplanes.com/mapping-with-the-lynx/
http://planner.ardupilot.com/
http://www.event38.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=E384
http://www.hypr3d.com/
http://cubify.com/blog/cubify-capture-app-allows-you-to-3d-print-yourself/
http://www.agisoft.ru/products/photoscan
http://www.suasnews.com/2011/11/10219/the-secrets-of-photomapping-a-free-ebook/
http://www.agweb.com/drone_zone.aspx
http://dronemapper.com/
http://higherlogicdownload.s3.amazo...ng-UAVs-to-Enhance--Precision-Agriculture.pdf
http://paradigmisr.com/
http://uasag.com/
http://www.trigger.pl/pteryx/Pteryx-UAV.php
http://www.mikrokopter.de/en/home
 



Mactadpole

Mactadpole

Member
Just get a Pixhawk and be done with it. Check out these guys work at UMBC: http://ecosynth.org/
I am doing work similar to theirs and I have flown several fc's before settling on Pixhawk and Arducopter.

Yes, its a steep learning curve but there is lots of help available. Just get an Iris to learn to fly on and program missions at first if your new to RC.

Shawn
 


C

ChrisErl

Member
I'd like to have something similar setup by spring but for forestry/ tree health. Currently doing mapping / inspections of forested areas but would like to expand our offerings.


Maybe start out with something like an event38 offering or Flightriot and move up from there ? Marcusuav offers a multi payload wing but the price is a little steep for low budget.

I recently purchased a $100 möbius from public lab which is supposed to do plant health. I haven't had time to unbox or test but hopefully this winter.

3drobotics has their new agdrones. I haven't looked at them to see what they come with.
 

Hexacrafter

Hexacrafter

Manufacturer
We have several farmers in US and UK flying their fields.
All are using a converted NEX5 camera. Here is one example: http://www.lifepixel.com/shop/full-...sion/sony-mirrorless-full-spectrum-conversion
Most are using the camera hard mounted facing down on a vibration isolation mount.
All are using DJI WKM with waypoints. Many use 900mhz data link and ham radio license here in the US.
The goal is keep it light so you can pack on more battery mah.... long flight times are a must.
 

Mactadpole

Mactadpole

Member
RaptorBird Robotics said:
Mactadpole,

Where did you go to find help programming Pixhawks?
Click to expand...

I think the Wiki is great, especially compared to MK. I frequent the APM forums and the DIYDrones blogs and forums. A little on RCG and some here (I am actually surprised how little here though). Plenty of info available.

The RAVN does not look easy to me, and it looks like a 3DR Iris with some sort of external controller that connects to the Pixhawk inside? Not sure why anyone would want to code when they can use a ground station to basically point and click, and type a few things to make the copter do what they want it to do. Heck, you can even use python scripts with Arducopter if that is what you want to do.

Event38 and Flightriot both have excellent APM based systems, and so does 3DR. But to get long flight times you need to DIY or get a ARTF frame kit that has proven flight times and add a Pixhawk FC.


Best,

Shawn
 

Bartman

Bartman

Welcome to MultiRotorForums.com!!
dark_star said:
Mikrokopter would be another possible choice for flight control. The latest firmware has very nice GPS/waypoint functionality. Fairly significant learning curve but pro level performance.
Click to expand...

the nice thing about Mikrokopter is that the helicopter will almost certainly fly great without any tuning at all so the majority of your time will be spent learning to use the GPS/waypoint functionality.
 

Mactadpole

Mactadpole

Member
Bartman said:
the nice thing about Mikrokopter is that the helicopter will almost certainly fly great without any tuning at all so the majority of your time will be spent learning to use the GPS/waypoint functionality.
Click to expand...
Totally agree with Bart! But I will say that Pixhawk is awfully easy to tune as well. I run autotune and then dial it down a bit with the slider under the basic tuning section and all my copters fly as good as my MK's did. IMO, Arducopter waypoint missions are easier to program than MK unless something has changed in the past 1.5 years or so.

Obviously I've become a fanboy of APM but it really is that good for my purposes. I think if you look at the number of people (including companies) using APM based machines for the kind of work you want to do you will see its growing popularity. Like I said, I've flown several other FC's and for my purposes (& budget) the APM (Pixhawk) platform has been the best.
 

Mactadpole

Mactadpole

Member
If this video is real why would you trust any other FC? :cool::)

They used APM to track and guide him!

edit: totally fake, it's an ad for two indoor trampoline parks....BC

 
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Bartman

Bartman

Welcome to MultiRotorForums.com!!
Mactadpole said:
Totally agree with Bart! But I will say that Pixhawk is awfully easy to tune as well. I run autotune and then dial it down a bit with the slider under the basic tuning section and all my copters fly as good as my MK's did. IMO, Arducopter waypoint missions are easier to program than MK unless something has changed in the past 1.5 years or so.

Obviously I've become a fanboy of APM but it really is that good for my purposes. I think if you look at the number of people (including companies) using APM based machines for the kind of work you want to do you will see its growing popularity. Like I said, I've flown several other FC's and for my purposes (& budget) the APM (Pixhawk) platform has been the best.
Click to expand...
as long as I've known you Shawn I wouldn't have any reason to doubt what you're saying. It's nice to hear good things being said about Pixhawk.

that video's totally bogus though. it's an ad for two indoor trampoline parks
 

Mactadpole

Mactadpole

Member
Bartman said:
as long as I've known you Shawn I wouldn't have any reason to doubt what you're saying. It's nice to hear good things being said about Pixhawk.

that video's totally bogus though. it's an ad for two indoor trampoline parks
Click to expand...

Thanks Bart. Yah, I figured it was but just saw and thought it was at least interesting.

Again, I think what the researchers at www.ecosynth.org are doing is one of the best examples. They have actually been another good resource for me as well.

Let me add that APM is equally complex as MK. I think that is why a lot of people have had issues with both. I remember when I made the decision to move to MK and I was so intimidated and spent so much time reading on here and elsewhere. I came to the "hobby" completely new to RC stuff and it took me almost 4 years to get comfortable with it all, for the most part.
 

Bartman

Bartman

Welcome to MultiRotorForums.com!!
fosho99 said:
Thanks for the replies!
...............
Click to expand...

fosho99, i'd only ask with the links that if there is something that is worthwhile to discuss that you'd please start a thread here so that we can continue to develop our community as new topics are brought up. if you're looking to develop the ability to use multi-rotor helicopters for agricultural purposes then that's something we can certainly help with but we'd also like for your experiences to be shared with others that might wander through looking for similar stuff.

thanks and good luck with it.
 
Last edited by a moderator:


C

ChrisErl

Member
I looked at the firefly when it first came out but lack of compatible fc's as well as poor flight times kept me away. To much post work to do with a gopro image to make it usable imo. Better off with a nex5
 

Bartman

Bartman

Welcome to MultiRotorForums.com!!
fosho99 said:
I'm looking for ideas or solutions for my goals. In the longrun, I would like something that can hold a larger camera and also a multispectral camera, was thinking the Lite version of this ( http://www.tetracam.com/Products1.htm ) Basically I want imagery that can be sent or processed, then turned into maps that show plant health and even plant population. The camera needs to be good enough to do this and the gps needs to be fairly accurate to develop these maps I believe. I'm not sure if multiple ground control points would be feasible or not. The fields that it would be used on are mostly flat, but may be 100-400 acres in size. That's probably enough information on what I would like to see for results, open to more questions if needed.

I am looking into possibly a hexa for the payload it may be carrying. I would like to keep it budget friendly as I am slowly ramping up. I've used QgroundControl for the AR drone and would like to use something similar at times.

Like I said, I am new to RC so I am open to any suggestions or threads on where to start researching further. I will be starting from the ground up on RC, but I do have a IMAX B6 genuine charger for the drones batteries I converted to XT60.
Click to expand...

It would be very helpful for your project if you could take a camera that is close in weight and photo specs to what you might try to fly and use it at different heights and zooms to see what gives adequate image quality. A higher altitude with a wider lens would allow you to stop at fewer waypoints thus speeding up your progress around the field.
 

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